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Nolina cismontana

(California Beargrass)

Overview

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Critically Endangered

Threat status

Interesting Facts

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Common Names

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Common Names in English:

California Beargrass, Chaparral Beargrass, Chaparral Nolina, Peninsular Beargrass

Description

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Genus Nolina

Plants perennial , cespitose or arborescent , acaulescent to short-caulescent, scapose , from branched, woody caudices or bulblike structures; usually forming colonies with few to many rosettes. Stems to 25 dm. Leaves forming rosettes; blade linear , not rigid or fibrous , bases broadly expanding, margins serrulate or entire. Scape 0.5-25 dm. Inflorescences paniculate , rarely racemose, 3-18 dm; bracts caducous or occasionally persistent . Flowers 2-5 per node, functionally unisexual , pistillate flowers with staminodes, staminate flowers with reduced pistils; tepals white to cream or tan, 1.3-5 mm, apex glandular ; ovary superior; pedicel jointed near middle . Fruits capsular , 3-locular, 3-lobed, thin-walled or sometimes firm-walled, often inflated , mostly notched at base and apex or rounded distally; dehiscent , often splitting irregularly. Seeds closely or loosely invested in capsules, globose , turgid . x = 19.

Species ca. 30: North America (se and sw United States), n and nc Mexico.

In areas of west Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona, the species of Nolina are not always well defined. There is variation in the presence or absence of marginal teeth on the leaves and placement of the inflorescences within or beyond the leaves. Collectors should take good notes about the plant habit and morphology and include these with their collections . Further study is needed on Nolina throughout its range . Some species of Nolina are extremely infrequent. Some are on federal and/or state rare and endangered species lists , and possibly some of those listed with a state should be listed federally.

J. C. Dice (1988) studied section Arborescens of Nolina in the United States, and presented extensive descriptions and discussion of N. bigelovii, N. parryi, N. cismontana, and N. interrata.[1]

Physical Description

Species Nolina cismontana

Plants caulescent ; rosettes from woody, branched caudices and forming small colonies. Stems to 3 dm, occasionally to 15 dm. Leaves 30-90 per rosette; blade wiry, upright, or lax , 50-140 cm × 12-30 mm, occasionally glaucous; bases broad, spoon-shaped, 30-85 mm; margins serrulate , not filiferous . Scape 4-15 dm, 14-35 mm diam. at base. Inflorescences compound paniculate , 9-18 dm × 10-40 cm; bracts persistent , conspicuous ; bractlets laciniate . Flowers: tepals 2-5 mm; fertile stamens: filaments 2-4 mm, anthers to 1.2 mm; infertile stamens: filaments 1-1.2 mm, anthers 0.4-0.6 mm; pedicel erect , proximal to joint to 2 mm, distal to joint 1-3 mm. Capsules thin-walled, 8.2-11.2 × 9-12 mm, notched basally and apically. Seeds reddish brown, ovoid , bursting ovary wall, 4-5 ´ 3-4 mm. [source]

P. A. Munz and J. C. Roos (1950) mistakenly believed that this coastal entity was the basis of Nolina parryi S. Watson (J. C. Dice 1988). Dice determined that it is not œtypical N. parryi and is sufficiently distinct to recognize separately. Few populations of N. cismontana exist, and they are of conservation concern. [source]

Habit: Shrub , Subshrub

Flowers: Bloom Period: March.

Habitat

Rocky hillsides in dry chaparral of coastal mountains; of conservation concern; 200--1300 m [2].

Biology

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Reproduction

Duration: Perennial

Taxonomy

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Notes

Name Status: Accepted Name .

Last scrutiny: 09-Jul-2004

Similar Species

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Members of the genus Nolina

ZipcodeZoo has pages for 20 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus:

N. arenicola (Sand Bear-Grass) · N. atopocarpa (Florida Bear-Grass) · N. bigelovii (Bigelow Beargrass) · N. bigelovii var. bigelovii (Bigelow's Nolina) · N. brittoniana (Britton's Bear-Grass) · N. cismontana (California Beargrass) · N. erumpens (Beargrass) · N. georgiana (Georgia Bear-Grass) · N. guatemalensis (Curly Nolina) · N. interrata (Dehesa Beargrass) · N. lindheimeriana (Beargrass) · N. longifolia (Oaxacan Tree Nolina) · N. matapensis (Sonoran Tree Bear Grass) · N. micrantha (Bear Grass) · N. microcarpa (Basket Grass) · N. nelsonii (Blue Nolina) · N. parryi (Bear Grass) · N. recurvata (Elephant's Foot Tree) · N. recurvata var. albomarginata 'Yellow Star' (Pony Tail Palm) · N. texana (Bunch Grass)

More Info

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Further Reading

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Notes

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Contributors

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal November 20, 2007:

Identifiers

Footnotes

  1. William J. Hess "Nolina". in Flora of North America Vol. 26 Page 413, 414, 415, 416, 419. Oxford University Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
  2. "Nolina cismontana". in Flora of North America Vol. 26 Page 416, 420, 421. Oxford University Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
Last Revised: 7/15/2012